With three weeks left in the legislative session, it is too soon to conclusively rate the success of Gov. Mark Sanford's ambitious legislative agenda -- but as our report noted Sunday, the prospects don't look good. One thing is clear. Any problem with advancing the governor's program lies primarily with the state Senate.

So far the House has approved 12 of the governor's 16 key proposals, even though Mr. Sanford's relationship with the House leadership has sometimes been rocky. The Senate, however, has approved only two of the governor's bills. And only a single bill, to streamline the regulatory process for small businesses, has yet to pass both chambers.

Meanwhile, some senators are complaining that the governor is showing them up by calling press conferences to urge them to act. "There are a lot of smart people in the Senate and the House," Sen. Phil Leventis, D-Sumter, told our reporter. "The governor acts like their knowledge and experience isn't valuable. He doesn't show us much respect. In fact, he seems to have contempt for us."

Fortunately, there are at least some senators who don't see it Sen. Leventis' way. Speaker Pro Tempore Glenn F. McConnell describes the governor as "a breath of fresh air." It's not that Gov. Sanford doesn't communicate with the lawmakers, according to Sen. McConnell. It's that some "don't want to hear."

And there are members of his own party who have turned a deaf ear to the governor. That's particularly surprising in view of the statewide mandate he got for his agenda. The governor campaigned on a platform of fiscal responsibility and accountability. His legislative agenda was developed over a period of months of close review with the help of citizen committees and public hearings across the state.

His agenda recommends strengthening the executive branch by completing the reorganization of state government begun under former Gov. Carroll Campbell. It would have the voters decide in a statewide referendum whether the governor should appoint most of the state's constitutional officers or continue to elect them. The response in the Senate was to kill much of the governor's reorganization plan in committee, helped in part by some Republican senators who apparently were giving political favors to colleagues who hold a majority of those offices.

Sen. McConnell blames opponents of tort reform for some of the delays in the Sanford agenda, noting that bills are being caught up in the maneuvering to keep that legislation from reaching the floor. Unfortunately, that situation isn't expected to get better before it's time to adjourn. The senator now believes some of the Senate rules that allow this gridlock have to be changed and says that will be a task given to a bipartisan committee this summer.

It should be noted that senators have shown their willingness to work outside the rules when it suits them. They were angered by the governor's veto of an economic development bill that turned into a vehicle for non-germane amendments, in violation of the state constitution. Some legislators complained that they felt blindsided by the governor's threat of a lawsuit following a veto override. Nevertheless, his stand encouraged passage of a House resolution to cease bobtailing for the remainder of the session.

A poll conducted just before the session began showed the popularity of the governor and his agenda, and support for legislative cooperation in enacting it. Characteristically, instead of taking those findings to heart, as the session began, some legislative leaders complained instead about the messenger.

The governor's program has wide public support, aimed as it is at cutting unnecessary burdens on taxpayers and streamlining the way government operates. The goal is to create a system in which the governor has greater authority, as the state's chief executive, and can be held accountable for government's overall operation.

Eventually, voters will get the message: if they want real change in government, they'll have to do more than elect a governor who supports change. They'll have to elect representatives and senators who are equally committed.

Meanwhile, if legislators feel the need for stroking, they should go to a petting zoo.

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